Chapter 2: The Morning After

“Eliara, are you even listening?”

Napabalik ako sa realidad nang marinig ko ‘yung boses ni Lianne, officemate ko at best friend na rin. Nasa harap kami ng table sa café malapit sa office — pero sa totoo lang, kanina pa lumilipad utak ko.

“Ha? Sorry, anong sabi mo?”

She sighed, rolling her eyes. “You’ve been spacing out since we got here. Spill it. Sino ‘yung iniisip mo?”

Napangiti ako ng mahina, sabay inom ng kape. “Wala.”

“Wala daw, oh! Girl, come on. You’ve had that dazed look since last night. Wait—don’t tell me may nakilala ka sa event?”

Hindi ko alam kung paano ko sasabihin. Kasi paano ko nga ba ipapaliwanag na the man I met last night wasn’t just someone… but the Alessandro Vallerio?

“Lianne,” I started, hesitant, “do you believe in love at first sight?”

She laughed. “Wow. You? Miss logical? Miss ‘love is a chemical reaction’? What happened?”

I smiled weakly. “Maybe I saw something I shouldn’t have.”

“Hmm,” she teased. “Or someone.”

Tama siya. Someone.

And that someone had haunted every second of my morning.

Pag-uwi ko kagabi, I couldn’t sleep. Lahat ng nangyari — ‘yung titig niya, ‘yung boses niya, the way he said my name like it meant something — paulit-ulit lang sa utak ko.

I hated it. I barely knew him. Pero bakit parang kilala ko na siya? Bakit parang may koneksyon na hindi ko maipaliwanag?

“Anyway,” Lianne said, pulling me out of my thoughts again, “we have a client meeting at ten. Don’t forget the file, okay?”

“Yeah, got it.”

After breakfast, bumalik na kami sa office. The usual noise welcomed us — phones ringing, keyboards clicking, people rushing with coffee.

Pero kahit anong gawin ko, hindi ko pa rin maalis sa isip ko ‘yung gabing ‘yon.

At lalo pa akong nabigla nang marinig ko ang boss naming si Ms. Ortega sa hallway.

“Team, we’ve been requested to handle a special project for a new partner company — Vallerio Group.”

Tumigil ang mundo ko.

“Vallerio…?” I whispered.

“Yes,” sabi ni Ms. Ortega. “Their CEO personally requested to meet with our department today.”

Lianne turned to me, eyes wide. “Wait. Isn’t that the guy from last night?”

I swallowed hard. “Yeah…”

Bago pa ako makapag-react, may kumatok sa glass door. A tall man in a black suit entered, flanked by two others.

And there he was.

Alessandro Vallerio.

In broad daylight, he looked even more intimidating — crisp white shirt, expensive watch, expression unreadable. Pero nang magtagpo ulit ang mga mata namin, doon ko lang narealize kung gaano kalalim ‘yung epekto niya sa’kin.

“Good morning,” he greeted, voice smooth and confident. “I believe we have business to discuss.”

Ms. Ortega smiled nervously. “Yes, Mr. Vallerio. Please, have a seat.”

Habang nag-uusap sila tungkol sa project, halos hindi ako makahinga. His eyes would occasionally flick toward me, like he knew exactly what he was doing.

Then, in the middle of the discussion, he spoke again. “Actually, I’d like to work directly with your team’s PR consultant… Ms. Eliara, was it?”

Lahat ng mata, napunta sa akin.

“Me?” I stammered.

“Yes,” he said simply, lips curling into that familiar smirk. “You made quite an impression.”

Lianne kicked me under the table, whispering, “Girl, anong nangyayari?!”

I couldn’t even answer.

After the meeting, lumapit siya sa desk ko habang abala ang iba.

“You look surprised,” he said softly.

“I didn’t expect to see you here,” sagot ko.

He tilted his head, that dark amusement glinting in his eyes. “Fate, maybe?”

“Or coincidence,” I countered.

“Nothing about me is coincidence, bella mia.”

That word again. Bella mia. My beautiful one. The way he said it made my heart skip a beat — and scared me at the same time.

“What do you really want, Mr. Vallerio?”

His expression turned serious. “Let’s just say I don’t let go of things that interest me.”

Before I could respond, tinawag siya ni Ms. Ortega. He gave me one last look — intense, knowing — then walked away.

Naiwan akong nakatulala, still catching my breath.

Lianne appeared beside me. “Girl, spill. What was that?”

I shook my head, half in disbelief. “I honestly don’t know.”

But deep inside, I knew this wasn’t the end.

That night, habang naglalakad ako papuntang parking lot, may narinig akong boses sa likod ko.

“Eliara.”

I froze. Kilala ko na agad ‘yung boses na ‘yon.

I turned — and there he was again, standing beside a black car, the city lights reflecting in his eyes.

“I told you,” he said quietly. “People don’t just walk away from me.”

My heart raced. “What are you doing here?”

He smiled faintly. “Making sure you got home safe.”

“Why?”

“Because whether you like it or not…” He stepped closer, his voice lowering. “…you’re already part of my world.”

And for the first time, I saw something in his eyes — not just danger, but loneliness. Darkness wrapped in longing.

And that’s when I realized —

Whatever this was between us…

It wasn’t ending anytime soon.